1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container apparatus. In particular, the present invention specifically teaches a clam-shell container for use in containing, storing, displaying and shipping produce items. The novel structural features of the clam-shell container advantageously enables plurality of produce items such as various berries, grapes or other fruit or produce items to be shipped while protecting the container contents during shipping and transport, while at the same time keeping the contents cool and fresh until it reaches the consumer due to an increased amount of air-flow circulating inside the container made possible by its unique structural features.
2. Background—Description of the Prior Art
Fresh produce contains many essential nutrients and vitamins that are needed for maintaining good health. The time necessary for harvesting, storing and transporting the produce to the actual costumer is an essential factor that must be taken into account. Some produce items such as berries, grapes and similar items require a relatively careful handling procedure. This is especially true because they contain pulp and juice which can be lost with all the nutrients during transportation due to damage if not handled and transported carefully.
Thus the weight and pressure that the produce must withstand should be limited or controlled in order to avoid potential damage. Oftentimes during transportation, containers may slide and during an impact, poorly designed and weekly structured containers that are stacked on one another may either fall down and spilling their contents, or the juices of the produce may be lost due to the damage as mentioned above. Also, container lids can deflected into the container to cause compression or damage to container contents. And the movement of the contents within the container can cause additional damage.
A number of prior art documents exist that are directed to the shipping of berries and other produce as well as to other items.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,894,672 to Bamburg teaches fiberboard boxes folded from a single blank of sheet material adapted to receive and carry small containers of perishable berries. Bamburg also discloses containers with smooth exterior surface that provide the ability with stacking locks and tabs which enable them to be stacked on top of each other.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,476,181 and 2,910,220 issued to Crane and Hamilton respectively relate to open produce trays or containers formed from a cardboard blank having divided compartments with a central divider that can be stacked for storage or shipping, further comprising openings and holes on the bottom for providing a means of ventilation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,203,573 to Rowe teaches an integrally formed stacking container for foods of uniform thickness material providing multiple compartments of uniform elevation bottoms and varying height upstanding walls. The walls making up the container are of inverted V cross-section to permit nesting of identical containers one above the other. The uniform elevation bottoms of the compartments have drainage openings to keep the contents free of excessive collecting moisture.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,334,767 to Cornelius teaches a one-piece rectangular bottle carrier having a reinforced bottom wall, side walls and end walls, which are sub-divided into four equal compartments by related longitudinal and transverse partitions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,627,170 to Pulliam discloses a plastic food container having a straight walled top-portion and a tapered bottom portion. The bottom portion terminates in a peripheral lip surrounding a concave bottom and the container has a removable top, which is provided with a peripheral locking flange having an enlarged edge which snaps over an enlarged rim on the container. Ribs are provided to space the containers in a stack to allow for air circulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,164 to Fennema discloses a rectangular berry basket and cover comprising a plastic lattice-work berry basket having a novel locking arrangement for the cover and the berry basket. The plastic lattice-work of the berry basket provides open air ventilation to the berry contents.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,526 to Medendorp discloses a berry container which is enclosed by a one piece cover differential pressure formed of very thin thermoplastic material suitable for packaging, protecting and displaying the berries. The cover is cup-shaped and the interior of each side is formed with a narrow shoulder which seats on the upper lip of the container to index the cover relative to the container.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,935,990 and 3,935,991 each to Crane disclose reinforced paperboard produce containers having reinforcing end frames of molded thermosetting plastic or other suitably rigid construction secured to the outer sides of the end walls of a paperboard container body with edge flanges on the frames projecting inwardly over the upper end wall edges and under the bottom wall of the body to provide upper and lower stacking edges. The reinforced containers are of sufficient strength, and interfit in such manner, that a number of them may be stacked with ample strength and stability in vertical columns. The containers have hinged lids or cover panels formed with tabs which engage with formations on the end frames to alternatively releasably lock the lids in closed, or open, folded away positions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,541 to Cipriani discloses an apparatus for washing and drying vegetables and fruit. The apparatus includes a closed prism-shaped container in which is housed a rotatable cylinder container provided with a plurality of passage holes. Vegetables and fruits are introduced into the container and subjected to water injectors for washing the produce which is then dried by centrifugal force in the rotatable cylinder container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,087 to Swingley, Jr. relates to a molded plastic fruit basket constructed to provide ventilation without uncontrolled drippage into a lower container of bottom openings surrounded by raised rims, side openings that terminate above the bottom, and end weep holes to direct drippage away from a lower stacked container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,076,459 to DeHart is concerned with a berry basket and cover which includes a dome-shaped basket cover comprised of clear plastic having a straight skirt depending from a dome portion and corners in the skirt having detents which releasably mate and lock onto corners of a rectangular basket. In a preferred embodiment, the basket cover is provided with vents which are angled with respect to a flat top of the cover and its sides while the basket includes bottom vents and side corner vents.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,456,379, D 361,035, D 363,879 and D 378,192, each to Krupa, disclose a berry container comprising a reusable, rectangular-shaped tray for securely containing both small and large produce. Ventilating means effectively permits the transfer of fluids between the interior and exterior of the tray which can be combined with a hinged cover to form a container. The container also includes ribs for providing structural support where the ribs include slits that provide an additional ventilation source.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,860,528 to Emery teaches a molded container with a detachable hinged cover. The cover has two side walls and a top wall which may have various perforations to expose to view the contents of the container. A first sidewall at the hinge side of the cover has a least two downwardly and outwardly extensions thereof, located to correspond with related hinge parts of the tray. A second and opposite side wall optionally has locking parts, which cooperate with related locking parts on the tray.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,947,336 to Thompson generally teaches a cylindrical container with a removable top for covering a central storage area which can hold a dry baby formula or other dry food commodity. The mid-section of the cylindrical container includes a tapered funnel terminating in an opening. A rotatable cylinder is operably carried on the funnel having a pre-measured receptacle or cavity co-extensive with the funnel opening for collecting a quantity of the dry food product. Upon rotation of the cylinder, the receptacle carries the product from the funnel for external dispensing into a utility container for usage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,047,819 issued to Borst discloses a clam-shell container that is designed for holding graphic displays to illustrate what is provided by or in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,401 to Mangla discloses a thermoplastic container for food or other articles having a rectangular bottom tray, a removable top and a pair of integral handle segments. A plurality of wells formed in the bottom tray retain fluid via capillary action or surface tension forces prevent fluid from flowing out if the base of the bottom tray is tilted or tuned upside-down. A plurality of cover venting notches and base venting notches and apertures formed in the sidewalls of the cover provide ventilation to the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,291 to Conti discloses containers with replaceable lids for holding fresh fruit or other food that is to be quick frozen. The containers and lids are stackable one upon the other so that flow passages are provided between the lid of one container and a bottom of a like container resting on that lid to permit the flow of a gaseous freezing medium there between.
U.S. Pat. No. D 372,171 issued to Romero discloses a right circular cylinder container with a converging bottom opening that is adjustable via a mechanical knob to dispense the contents of the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,082 to Meyer teaches a compression supporting divider set having an upper edge and a spaced apart lower edge, the upper and lower edges being connected by a side edge forming an end of the divider. A cut line extends from one of the upper and lower edges to an interior point of the divider spaced from the upper and lower edges and from the side edges.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,022 to Sullivan teaches a single compartment clam-shell container made of cardboard or chipboard.
U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2003/0152670 to Shih pertains to a food container capable of increasing the effect of air permeability and has a plane jointed side located between a main body and a top cover of an unitarily molded container, a plurality of permeability holes disposed on the abovementioned plane for increasing air permeability of the entire container, accelerating the cold storage and ripening process of the fruit so as to enhance the efficiency and save the laboring time, and furthermore a bottom portion of the container main body is disposed with a plurality of L-shaped slot holes for draining the water.
U.S. Patent Publication No. US 2003/0136699 to McNeeley discloses nestable and stackable food storage containers having a base with a bottom panel. The bottom panel has an upper side, a lower side and a base perimeter. A removable lid has a top panel with a top side, bottom side and a lid perimeter. The container and lid exhibit a nesting structure which facilitates the stacking of the containers.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2006/0249516 to Giumarra teaches an elongated produce container which is hollow and includes a bottom plane for closing the lower end of the elongated container. Moreover Giumarra relates to a plurality of apertures configured on the bottom plane to provide ventilation and drainage of the produce fluid from the elongated container.
U.S. Patent Publication No. 2007/0056980 to Sambrailo discloses containers having a lid connected to a body with a hinge and securable using latches. The closed lid defines at least two horizontal ventilation slots between the lid and body and at opposite ends of the container.
While the prior art mentioned hereinabove in general teaches multifunctional molded containers or support trays for shipping or transporting of various produce or other items, it does not resolve the problems of the prior art with respect to the protection of produce contents during shipping and transport, in particular, for larger size containers. Thus, there is a need in the art for a new and improved container that can be used in containing, shipping, transporting and storing in a cooled environment produce items that display a notable vulnerability and fragility and a great potential of easily undergoing damage. This is particularly sought by produce exporting facilities, that suffer tremendous financial loss due to poorly designed containers, consequently resulting in a damage to the produce items during transportation and storage. The present invention now satisfies this need by providing such improved containers.